Manufacture of containers from fiberboard and like sheet material



1953 v. A. HUTT-BRENNING 2,660,971

MANUFACTURE OF CONTAINERS FROM FIBERBOARD Dec. 1, 1953 v. A. HUTT-BRENNING ,971

MANUFACTURE OF CONTAINERS FROM FIBERBOARD AND LIKE SHEET MATERIAL Filed Sept. 4, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1953 v. A. HUTT-BRENNING 2,660,971

' MANUFACTURE OF CONTAINERS FR FIBERBOARD AND LIKE SHEET MATE Lv Filed Sept. 4, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED v- ESTATES PATENT? QIELE'ICE MANUFACTURE-0F CONTAINERS, FROM FIBERBOARD .AND LIKE, SHEET .MA--

'TERIAL VincentA. Hutt -Brenning; Durban, Natal; Unionrof South :Africa Application September 4, 1946, Serial No. 694,745

'Claimsprio'rity;application Union of South Africa October, 1945 3 "Claims.

This invention relates to improvements. in the manufacture of containers from .fibre :board and like sheet material, and refers more particularly to .the 'joining of the-co-acting -&edges :of the boards, sheets or thelike forming corners of the container.

.Anobject of the-present invention isto provide a simple and inexpensive method and means for joiningthe edgesof fibre or like material boards,;whether corrugated or solid, (hereinafter referredto assfibre boards) to for-mastrong and'rigidcorner or .other joint when used to forma .container such as for-example; a rectangular. shaped .box.. Axfur-ther object of this invention :is to provide a .box', i-having certain of its-edges, or all its edgesgreinioroed, :to provide a container which is considerably stronger than the fibre board containers manufactured accordvins .to known methods.

According. to the invention broadly, :thermetho'd ofJoining together-thecedges rof co-acting sheets of fibre board forming the "sides of a box-like container consistsin enclosingrthermarginal edge of .oneboard in a channelformedalong one edge of a sheet metal strip, thereafter bending .the

.stripecovered edge of said board inwardly. .over

upon itself to forma groove, into which groove the marginal edge or 'edge flap- -of a loo-acting or second board is inserted .andvtightly gripped .therein by forcible :clOSiIlgxOf said groove; the

arrangement being such that a joint seamis formed-having the marginal edgeor. edge flap of the. second board enclosed. by the @bent over edge portion of the first-mentioned board, with the edge of. the metal strip forming one-side of-the channel located internally ofwthe seams-while the remaining portion of-saidstripis wrapped around theoutside of theseam, :so:.as. to h'old the parts securely togetherandat the-same time to act. aslchannel shaped stifi'fening .means for .said. seam. To increase-the security of the joint,

theedge portion of the metal stripiwhi'ch forms ones-side ofthe channe1...adapted-to receiye the edge, of. the first-mentioned board, :is provided with outwardly rojecting prongs or the equivalent which are. adapted-t0 be .pressed into the .material. vofthemarginal.edge or edge flap ,of

the second-mentioned board, whentheaforesaid groove into. which itisinserted isforcibly closed by a clinching eration.

More particularly, the. portion ofthe metal strip .enclosingthe edge, of the firstwboard is of substantially J-shape, having "one limb longer than the other. ,The shorter limhis..provided with a series. of outwardly directed projections r br -prongs: The marginal edge- ,portion Of'IThe first mentioned fibre board is adapted to be inserted and firmly gripped by being pinched in the channel-like space. formed between the :said limbs, whilethe prongs, are adapted to stand proud of the outersurface-of the shorter ulimb. Thereafter the metal coverededge of the firstmentioned board is :bent. over -upon:itself--to a U-shape, so that the enclosed portion of the edge thereof is located parallel-with,.zbut in spaced relationship to the inner surface. :of the .said board,whereby a longitudinalgroove or slot .is formed. The marginal edge or edge flap otthe second-mentioned or co-acting board, forming an adjoining side of --:the container, is inserted adapted to extend outwardly at a suitable angle so that they act bard-fashionand thereby-prevent withdrawal of the fibre board edge. .They maybe of a curved shapeand pointed to aiford rigidity-and efiect easy piercing and gripping of the fibre board which they are adapted to secure, -Although the-metal strips areconveniently made from flat -metal strips, .said strips :may be ridged or corrugated to increase their strength, while the prongs maybe arranged in a straight lineor in staggered-relationship to each other.

'3 The angu larity may be. arranged so that alternate prongs slope in opposite directions. ...If-desired, saidprongs may bearranged opposite each other or facingeach other in .pairs, much-the same asa known wirestitch.

A container manufactured. from .fib're board according to the present invention is .particularly suitable for .despatch and storage purposes'in a .flat, partlycompleted and unassembled or ,partly assembled condition, so as thereby to eliminate the necessity .for. large storage space when not in use. For this purpose the .blanksheets of .fibre boardsare .cut,..and..creased to therequired size and shape, while themetal strips are applied to theappropriateedges, so that the sheets from which a box is made, may be packed flat on top ofv one-anotherand are capable .of being assembled ormadeup when required;

According to one method of carryingithis out in practice; .the aforesaid first-mentioned board consists'of a blank creased to define-foldalines for providing the bottom, sides and closure flaps of the container; and the said sheet metal strip is attached in the first instance along the opposite longitudinal marginal edges thereof so as to co-act for jointing purposes with outwardly bent marginal flaps provided on two end pieces, each of which constitutes the aforesaid secondmentioned board.

According to another method the said firstmentioned board consists of an end piece creased to form marginal edge flaps, and the said sheet metal strip is attached in the first instance to said ed e flaps so as to co-act for jointing purposes with the marginal edge of a blank creased to provide the bottom, sides and closure flaps of the container. It will therefore be understood that in each case the parts for each container comprise a creased blank and two end pieces which can be packed fiat and assembled when required.

The box when completed is therefore formed with reinforced corners and a metal edge all around and may be sealed in any suitable way such as by means of gummed tape or by soldering together the ends of the metal strips, but preferably by a clinching-operation similar to that used for making the joint seams.

In addition to the punching of the prongs in a metal strip, small sections are also punched out of said strip to coincide with the creases of the blanks, which provision obviates bulging of the metal strip at the fold lines when assembling the box.

To enable the invention to be more clearly understood and carried into practice, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of a box-like container constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of portion of the metal strip after it has been punched out to provide the prongs but before it is applied to a fibre board edge;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the first bending operation of the metal strip to provide a channel;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the insertion of a fibre board edge in the channel shown in Fig. 3, prior to the second bending operation;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the metalstrip-covered edge of the fibre board after it has been bent inwardly over upon itself to form a groove;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the completed joint or seam after the edge flap of a second board has been inserted in the groove shown in Fig. 5, and the side walls of said groove forced together by a clinching operation;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6, but showing an alternative method of carrying out the invention, in which the metal strip is in the first instance secured to the marginal edge flap of a fibre board;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view showing method of securing the closure flaps of a container of the kind shown in Fig. l, to the top edge of an end wall for closing purposes;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view of portion of the metal strip showing provision of notch to facilitate bending;

Fig. 10 is an end sectional view taken on line X-X of Fi 8;

Fig. 11 shows a creased blank for making a container as shown in Fig. 1, after the metal strip has been applied to the opposite longitudinal edges thereof;

Fig. 12 shows a creased blank suitable for an end wall of a container, as depicted in Fig. 1;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view, to a larger scale, of the blank of Fig. 12, after the metal strip has been secured to the marginal edge flaps thereof in the manner shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view showing method of holding the edge of a closure flap in position in the groove of the metal strip when fixed inthe first instance to the marginal flap of the top edge of a container after the manner shown in Fig. 7;

Figs. 15, 16 and 1'7 are similar views showing alternative methods of achieving the same result; and

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a tag of Fig. 17, showing how the tag is tucked into the joint prior to the clinching operation.

Referring to the drawings, reference I denotes the sheet metal strip which is first of all punched out by suitable means to provide a row of prongs 2 on one side which, as shown in Fig. 2, project at an acute angle to the surface thereof. This punched out marginal portion of the strip l is then bent over through degrees to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the edge of a fibre board 3 is inserted in the channel thus formed as clearly indicated in Fig. 4. Thereafter the metalcovered edge of the fibre board is bent over upon itself to the position shown by Fig. 5 so that a groove 4 is formed with the prongs 2 projecting inwardly. The marginal flap 5 of a fibre board 6 is inserted in the groove 4 which is then forcibly closed thereon so as to complete the joint illustrated by Fig. 6. It will be noted that the prongs 2 are forced into the material of the flap 5 which is thus securely locked in position.

A box as shown in Fig. l is constructed from the creased blank of Fig. 11, and two of the end pieces I as shown in Fig. 12. The blank is divided by transverse fold lines into a bottom panel 8, two side panels 9 and two closing flaps l0. Metal strips l are fixed to the longitudinal edges of the said blank in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. To facilitate folding, notches l I are cut out of the strips l in line with each fold line, as more clearly shown in Fig. 9. Each end piece 1 consists of a rectangular blank provided with fold lines 12 which, on removal of the corner portions, form the marginal edge flaps I3 which are capable of being folded to positions at right angles to the face of the blank. 7

The joints between the creased blank of Fig. 11 and the end pieces I are as depicted in Fig. 6. To facilitate the operation of holding the top edge flap l3 of Fig. 1 in the grooves of the closing flaps I8 during the clinching operation, the meeting ends of strips I are chamfered off as shown at IE in Fig. 8 whereby the exposed portion of the edge flap I 3 is capable of being pulled out wardly by a finger and thumb or a suitable tool, so that said edge flap can be held snugly in the grooves of the metal strips i. Alternatively, partcircular notches M, as shown in broken line in Fig. 8, may be cut out of the outer sides of the strips In a modification of this construction the portion of the flap l3 registering with the notch l4, may be extended to provide a tag l6 as shown in broken outline in Fig. 10.

According to an alternative method of apply- .ing the invention to the manufacture of a box similar to that illustrated by Fig. 1, the metal strips I, are, in the first instance, attached to the marginal edge flaps 13 of end pieces 7, instead of to the creased blank of Fig. 11, as clearly shown in Fig. 13. The steps involved in attaching the metal strip to the marginal edge of the flap Q3 of the end pieces 7 is similar to that of fixing a strip to the longitudinal edges of the board folded to form the bottom 8, sides 9 and closing iiaps IE3, as is described above. The metal strips for attachment to the flaps 13 are also first punched out by suitable means to provide a row of prongs adjacent one edge (see Fig. 2) whereafter the punched out marginal portion of the strip is bent over through an angle of 180 to form the channel into which the marginal edge flap i3 is inserted. The said channel is then tightly squeezed onto the flap E3. The so formed metal covered flap is then bent over upon itself to form the groove :3, so that the prongs project inwardly thereof. The crease line 12 is arranged just inwardly of the edge of that portion of the metal strip i which is wrapped around the outside of the bent over marginal fiap edge as will be clearly seen from Fig. 7, which figure however shows the marginal ends of the coaoting board inserted in the groove and after the groove is forcibly closed. When a joint is made with the creased blank it will appear as shown in Fig. 7 in which ll represents an edge portion of the creased blank, and i8 represents an edge portion of an end piece 7.

Fig. 14 shows one way of facilitating the holding of the edge of a closure flap Hid in the groove of an end piece during the clinching operation. In this case one or more tongue-like extensions l9 are provided on the edges of said closure flap, which extensions are arranged to be passed through slots 20 in the strip-metal-covered edge flap 13. After closing the box these extensions may be cut off.

Fig. 15 shows a modified method of achieving the same result by the use of tags 21 of metal, or other suitable material, which are attached to the edges of a closure flap a in any suitable manner and co-act with slots 22.

Fig. 16 shows a further method in which the tags 2| of Fig. are replaced by strings or wires 22,, which co-act with holes 24.

"Figs. 1'7 and 18 show still a further modification for achieving the same results as the methods of Figs. 14 to 16, but with certain additional advantages. In this case the tags 25, attached to the closure flap 10a by staples 26, are of sheet metal, and are long enough to be wrapped around the metal-covered edge flap l3 after being passed through the slots 27; and thereafter tucked into the joint prior to the clinching operation as clearly shown in Fig. 18. Fig. 17 shows the completed joint with the end of the tag securely nipped between the two contacting surfaces thereof.

By the use of the methods illustrated in Figs.

15 to 18, the tags 2| and 25 and members 23,

particularly when these are all made of metal, may be used for securing the joint parts together, and. the prongs 2 may then be dispensed With.

\v This feature is particularly applicable in cases where the containers are required for re-use after initial filling. It will be understood that for opening purposes the said tags or their equivalent are simply straightened or unfastened.

It will be understood that the substantially channel-shaped form of the metal strip i in a completed joint, gives great strength to the container as a whole, besides protecting the edges and corners thereof against wear.

What I claim is:

1. A method of joining together sheets of fibre board particularly in the formation of containers, comprising bending an edge of a sheet metal strip to form a channel one side of which extends beyond the other side, enclosing the marginal edge of one board in the channel formed along one edge of the sheet metal strip, then bending the strip-covered marginal edge of said board to form a groove having metal on one inner side and exposed board on the other inner side there of, then inserting an uncovered marginal edge of a second board into said groove between said metal and said exposed board inner sides and then forcibly closing said groove whereby a joint seam is formed in which the marginal edge of the second board is enciosed by the bent over edge portion of the first-mentioned board, with the bent over edge of the metal strip forming one side of the channel, located internally of the seam, while the remaining portion of said strip is wrapped around the outside of the seam so as to hold the parts securely together and at the same time act as a channel-shaped stiffening means for said seam.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge portion of the metal strip which forms one side of the channel adapted to receive the edge of the first-mentioned board, is provided with outwardly projecting prongs which are pressed into the material of the marginal edge of the second-mentioned board, when said groove is forcibly closed by a clinching operation.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said prongs are punched out from one side of the metal strip, and are arranged to extend outwardly at a suitable angle so that they act barb-fashion and thereby prevent withdrawal of the fibre board edge when said clinching operation has been completed.

V. A. HUTT-BRENN'ING.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,555,977 Hulbert Oct. 6, 1925 1,597,889 Hulbert Aug. 31, 1926 2,027,664 Andrew et al Jan. 14, 1936 2,060,030 Carmichael et a1. Nov. 10, 1936 2,142,166 Zalkind Jan. 3, 1939 2,233,906 Zalkind Mar. 4, 1941 2,421,238 Borah May 27, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,684 Australia Nov. 22, 1934 of 1933 

